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The Sussex Fund: enabling students to thrive
By: Emma Wigmore
Last updated: Tuesday, 18 June 2024
Louis Saunders
Kacey Woolford
Every penny donated to the Sussex Fund directly supports those in need, providing hardship bursaries, mental health support, scholarships, and enhancing the overall student experience.
Enabling excellence
Time at university is not only about academic learning. Every year, we welcome students who show incredible sporting as well as academic promise. Your generous donations to the Sussex Fund support these talented individuals through a Sports Scholarship scheme.
Through the programme, gifted students are provided with the means to succeed in both their sporting and academic endeavours, regardless of their background or financial status. In 2022-2023, 23 students benefited from sports bursaries, which helped relieve some of the financial pressures associated with the need to travel and book accommodation for competitions, as well as training and purchasing equipment.
Beyond financial support, your donations also provided scholars with access to sports facilities, strength and conditioning sessions, one-on-one coaching from the team at SussexSport, parking privileges, complimentary memberships and performance support, as well as unique mentoring opportunities and attendance at workshops hosted by world-class athletes.
International Development student and Boccia player, Louis Saunders says:
"I feel fortunate to have been supported by the Sports Scholarships scheme. It has helped me forge a student-athlete identity that has not only boosted my performance but also made my time at Sussex a joy.
"The scheme enabled me to participate in the True Athlete Project’s mentoring programme. I learnt about becoming a mindful athlete, saw elite sport in a completely different light and could bounce ideas off two-time winter Olympian and Sussex alumnus, Laurence Halsted, who is Director of Mentoring.
"The scheme also provided me with free court-time to develop my Boccia skills. Overall, I am so grateful and proud to be a Sussex Sports Scholar. Fingers crossed I keep boosting my World Ranking, so I have the best chance of being selected to represent Britain at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games."
Another sports scholar is Psychology with Business and Management student and England Korfball player, Dominic Brooks. He says:
“I have been given a lifechanging opportunity to turn my dreams of playing Korfball for England into a reality. Without the generosity of those who give to the Sussex Fund, I would not be able to play the sport I love to the level that I do; I cannot thank them enough.”
Changing lives
Donations also help care leaver students, meaning they can focus better on their studies, devote more time to their social life with their peers, and increase their sense of belonging.
The Sussex community's generosity ensures that care-leavers receive enhanced financial support throughout their studies and during the summer months. Additionally, it covers gym memberships and graduation costs, including gown and hood hire, a guest ticket and a photography package, allowing them to celebrate their academic achievements with their peers.
Kacey Woolford is a first year undergraduate and care experienced student at Sussex. She is the first in her family to go to university.
“A lot of the things you need at uni cost money, so I feel really lucky to have had such amazing financial support here at Sussex. I definitely feel it’s helped me settle in and to make friends. Without the additional help I would have really struggled.
The support that I’ve received genuinely has enhanced my university experience so far. Thank you to the Rudd Family Foundation and all those who give to the Sussex Fund – your generosity really has changed a life.”
Research shows that those with care experience have significantly poorer educational and life outcomes than the general population on average. At Sussex, we believe that background should never be a barrier to education or success. We are proud, with thanks you your support, to offer a range of support to give our care experienced students access to better opportunities, helping them overcome any challenges they’re facing, ensuring they’re able to settle in well to university life and giving them an equitable chance to flourish academically and personally.
Providing a lifeline
It is a sad truth that financial strain causes many students to consider dropping out of university and it is not uncommon for them to regularly struggle to make ends meet. Having the funds to pay for the core essentials is very much a daily challenge for some.
Last year, thanks to the generosity of donors to the Friends and the Sussex Fund, we were able to double our Student Hardship Fund, helping over 820 students across all schools and disciplines who found themselves experiencing genuine and unavoidable financial difficulties.
Many of them report that financial difficulties have negatively affected their academic performance and having to take on additional paid work to cover costs has left them without enough time to focus on their studies.
Stress, concentration issues caused by poor diet and skipping lectures due to being unable to afford travel fares are also compounding factors.
Donations really do make a difference to those who are most in need, as evidenced in the testimonies of our hardship award recipients.
One student said: “The award will enable me to continue my studies without undue stress and worry. The past few months have been challenging and this award provides a much-needed boost to my morale and motivation to keep striving for academic excellence.”
Another commented: “My award will help me overcome my current financial difficulties, ease my anxiety and focus on my studies. I will do my best to repay this kindness through my future academic achievements and personal growth.”